Local breweries and businesses join forces to support Butte County residents

More than 20 breweries across Central and Eastern Oregon are coming together for a single beer and a single cause.

The Bend Resilience Beer Fest will take place from 2 to 8 p.m. on January 5, 2019 at the Les Schwab Amphitheater. Breweries from Bend, Redmond, Terrebonne, Sisters, and John Day will pour their own batches of Resilience IPA at this all-ages event, with all proceeds going to the Camp Fire Relief Fund.

Both the recipe and the movement were spawned by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, which is headquartered in the Butte County region impacted by the fire. More than 1,400 breweries across the United States signed on to brew batches of their Resilience Butte County Proud IPA, but it’s the breweries in Central and Eastern Oregon who took things a step further.

“This whole event bubbled up from an outpouring of support from breweries, distributors, and other community partners,” explained Chris Justema, president of Cascade Lakes Brewing Company and one of the event organizers. “Everyone wanted to help in some way, so we created an entire festival devoted to the cause.”

The Bend Resilience Beer Fest is the only sanctioned Resilience event in the country, and representatives from Sierra Nevada will travel to Bend with their own kegs of Resilience IPA to add to the mix. Admission is free, and the Les Schwab Amphitheater is donating everything from cups to tents to heaters. Attendees will buy tokens to sample each brewery’s version of Resilience IPA, with food trucks and music rounding out the event.

Jason Randles of Crux Fermentation Project said it’s been inspiring to see so many community partners coming together for the cause.

“All the breweries involved—from the smaller ones who could contribute a single keg, to the big ones who brewed several dozen—are getting equal billing,” he said. “The focus is on supporting victims of the fire.”

In November 2018, the Camp Fire became the most destructive wildfire in California history, and the deadliest wildfire in the United States since 1918. Many of Sierra Nevada’s employees and patrons were impacted, and the ties reached Central Oregon. Several Bend breweries have employees with family in the area, and even those who didn’t felt a kinship with Butte County residents.

Visit Bend CEO Kevney Dugan noted that both Central Oregon and the Butte County area are known for their tight-knit sense of community.

“People genuinely want to help each other, and it’s great knowing everyone from visitors to residents can help the cause just by lifting a beer mug.”

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